>>>Eliminator 20" Muscle: Final finished picture here, p. 62

[Peatbog]

I cut the appropriate size piece of .09 aluminum sheet:



Marked and drilled holes:



I cut a radius on each corner so it would look more finished. My sheet metal tools consist of a vise and whatever I find lying around, so with a piece of 1/2" rod to give me the corner radius I wanted, I went at it. A little hand bending and a little hammer work...



...and it was ready to bolt on. I will either shine it up or paint it black--I haven't decided which one yet. Here it is, with the angles of the drag chute support rods matching the angles of the tubing the wheelie bar is made from:



A couple other photographs:







Now all I need is to make the drag chute box and figure out a way to make it open and fling the chute into the air. I have a plan for that; I just don't know what it is yet.

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Nice! Your lucky to have those great fabricating skills and machines!

[EastOfEastLos]

Man, a person could learn a lot of fabrication techniques by watching your build! The bike is going to be a real gem, and probably worth a pretty penny.

[JoKeR63]

If all else fails make a fake chute pack and deal with it later. It'll still look good photographically. I understand the burnout factor, believe me!

[burrkrayecycles]

hey peatbog that bike looks sweet already but if you're like me it cannot stay original lol
i hope to see it when finished and send me the link to pics of the build process if you want
you should bring it to one of our events when finished id like to see you there
thanks and ride on
dr evil

[Peatbog]

Thanks for the compliments, guys. Burrkrayecycles, all the pictures are here in this thread. They're just spread out over many pages.

Back when I first considered this drag chute thing waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in May, my first thought was to put the drag chute release under the seat. Then I went crazy and thought of how much more complicated I could make it. That thinking was more getting caught up in the contest than making it simple the way I had planned. Well, all that is out and the release will go back under the seat, somewhere like this:



The release lever will be on the left side, right under the seat at the back--pretty much right under the rider's butt. Since all heights of riders pretty much have the same reach to their butt, relatively speaking, this should fit all riders. Also, because the lever is so close to the chute, I can probably just make a mechanical release instead of fooling around with a cable. All one has to do is reach down and pull up slightly on the lever. I will put the lever right where one's hand falls when they reach down.

Picture of speedometer drive, shown for absolutely no reason:

[Punxs]

Amazing bike. It turned out great. I was reading how you did your paint job. I would like to know how you did the painting process for the bike. I think it would make a great diy write up.

[MazdaFlyer]

Darn nice high tech metalworking in this bike. What would a set of knock-off hubs cost someone voting for your bike?

[Peatbog]

Amazing bike. It turned out great. I was reading how you did your paint job. I would like to know how you did the painting process for the bike. I think it would make a great diy write up.

Thanks. To sum up the paint, it was paint main color, tape off and paint the black, then pinstripe and then clear coat. I'm not sure how much I wrote about it in this thread. I'll have to go back and look.

Darn nice high tech metalworking in this bike. What would a set of knock-off hubs cost someone voting for your bike?

Thanks. Unless I get a CNC to make those things, the cost would be more than anyone would pay. They just take way too long to make.

[burrkrayecycles]

wow dude that thing is total beep excellent job
you do some nice work
if you are ever in Nebraska let me know im working on putting together some bike shows and swap meets around here and would love to have you're ride on display.
keep up the good work i might have to send some of my stuff you're way if you're interested in doing a lil side work for me.
keep up the good work and i look forward to seeing more
ride on and be safe.
dr evil

[Peatbog]

Thanks. I am in Ohio. If I ever get to Nebraska, I wouldn't mind going to one of those bike shows, however.

[burrkrayecycles]

oh sweet i know ohio i used to live there awhile back
i'll definitely let you know if we have any events near you or if i hear of any
good luck and keep up the awesome work
ride on and be safe
dr evil

[Kreep]

Looks great. Nice Kurt vice and very tidy shop.Always love seeing machining pics.You can't go wrong with never dull.keep up the good work.
-Kreep-

[Peatbog]

Thanks, Kreep. The only bad thing about the shop is that it isn't mine; it's just where I work. The good thing is we just bought new Kurt vises for all the milling machines.

For those who don't know about Kurt vises, let's just say that it is the vise you want. It is the vise all other vises look up to. It is the vise that built kingdoms...well, okay, it didn't build kingdoms, but it is the vise you want. Why? Because it does this:



And that matters big time when you are trying to keep things flat in your vise.

[Peatbog]

I've got a parachute and some cardboard. I might need some action figures to save this one.